RUIDOSO - Austin Trout works through each moment, the sweat dripping faster and faster and eventually turning into mini-rivers raging down his face.

The solitude and sameness of each day in this small, picturesque, mountain-resort town will be a marked contrast to the crowded, frenetic mayhem in San Antonio.

Such is a boxer's life.

Trout's training is a relentless partner. Run in the morning. Rest. Force down bland, healthy meals. Train in the afternoon. Work through explosive strength and fitness drills. Only your trainer and coach and sparring partners are your co-pilots.

Work, sweat, work, sweat ... and repeat it all the next day. And the next. And the next.

Trout knows the routine by heart. He has done it so many times now. He knows exactly what is required ... the requirements necessary to reach greatness ... the work and sweat and tears necessary to take that next step in the pursuit of greatness.

The Las Cruces world champion will be taking his biggest step on April 20 - a showdown on a spring Saturday night in San Antonio.

Trout, the WBA world junior middleweight champion, will duel with the enormously popular Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the WBC world junior middleweight champion ... a 154-pound world unification bout in front of 40,000 in the Alamodome. Trout is 26-0 with 14 knockouts and he is coming off a big, big win, a dominating victory over legendary Miguel Cotto in perhaps the most famous boxing venue in the world, New York's Madison Square Garden.

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Alvarez is 41-0-1 with 30 knockouts and he is not only the darling of Mexico, he is also the darling of most Mexican-American fight fans.

Trout broke into an easy smile as his long-time trainer Louie Burke went through the daily process of wrapping his fighter's hands with care. It was quiet inside the First Baptist Church gym as the men get ready for work.

"I feel like I'm right on schedule," the 27-year-old Trout said. "Last camp, I was ahead of schedule. I'm feeling good ... definitely in shape. My legs are recovering just a bit; all part of the process."

Trout has steadily climbed the world boxing ladder. It has been a difficult climb from Las Cruces. Fights have always been hard to come by. Each and every one of Trout's fans knows his journey. He fearlessly went on the road to fight a Panamanian in Panama, a Canadian in Canada, more than one tough Mexican fighter in Mexico. He then went into Cotto's backyard, to an arena filled with Puerto Rican fans, and put a whipping on the future Hall of Famer - winning 117-111 on two judge's cards, winning 119-109 on the third card.

Trout moved to the top of that boxing ladder. And this fight could put him among the world's elite.

"The Cotto fight put Austin at a completely different level," Burke said. "This fight will shoot him through the roof. The whole world will take notice of how great Austin really is. It should put him in with the elite fighters on the pound-for-pound list (the longtime boxing list that names the top fighters in the world, regardless of weight class)."

The skinny kid from Las Cruces has gotten better and better over the years. He had that much publicized amateur career, beginning at age 10, posting a 160-45 record and winning the Olympic Trials. He lost a subsequent box-off and went to Athens as an Olympic alternate in 2004. He has had magnificent success and handled it well. He handled his disappointment well, too.

"I thought I should have been fighting in the Olympics," he said with a smile and a shrug. "But things happen for a reason. God has a plan. I guess I got the Olympic experience without having the pressure of the Olympics."

The air is cool and thin here. The deer saunter fearlessly up to the condominiums in the early afternoon when everyone is trying to grab a little rest. The deer make short work of an orange and a banana tossed their way ... then calmly wander away in search of other treasures.

Trout has been training hard, working with Burke and his athletic performance specialist Shukree Shabazz.

"We try different things to keep it fresh," said Shabazz, a longtime friend and former New Mexico State football player. "I look at it as trying to put the best athlete in there on April 20. It's like a pyramid. You have to build. But Austin's grown so much over the years you have to keep adding to get the pyramid just right. I think Austin is really feeling his power now. He knows it's coming over the course of a fight and not just one-punch power like (Rocky) Marciano or (George) Foreman. It's athletic power and Austin is definitely a stronger fighter."

The clouds float in as the day drones on, playing hide-and-seek with the sun in this high altitude getaway.

The days also include moments of video study, looking for just the right moves to counter Alvarez ... to counter him in every possible way. It is simply all part of a day at the office for the fighter. The days drag on, one after the other - more work, more sweat, more rest and repeat - over and over and over.

Trout and Burke climb into the ring ... Trout working the mitts against Burke ... a fistic ballet they have danced together for years. On this day, though, they are working specific techniques, things geared strictly for Alvarez, strictly for center ring in the Alamodome, strictly for that sensational Saturday night in San Antonio.

"On the one hand, we have tried to keep things on an even keel," Burke said. "Just another fight. Why should we do things differently? They've worked. I think Austin will plateau or peak at the right moment. Canelo is a very explosive fighter. But, he doesn't get enough credit for being a natural boxer, a natural counter puncher. He has a good jab, a nice uppercut. There are a few things we see we feel we can capitalize on. But the kid (Alvarez) is very sound.

"Cotto was shorter," Burke said. "He had to get inside. Canelo is more boxer, more counter puncher. He is taller (than Cotto), but not as tall as Austin."

"We are keeping the same formula as the camp for Cotto," Trout said. "Cotto is a great fighter. Canelo is quicker, stronger, bigger. But I'm still the bigger man and I feel I will be the faster man."

Once again - yet one more tough time - Trout will walk into the arena as the other guy ... as the opponent. The bulk of the adoring crowd will be cheering and pleading for Alvarez to win this dance.

"It's fine," he said with a smile and a shrug. "Again. Once again I'm the B side. But, in my mind, I'm the A side. I'll make that walk and it will be great. I'll be nervous. It's the same every time. Nervous and the adrenaline kicking in. Hey, if I'm not nervous before a fight, something's wrong. But once that first bell sounds, it's time to go to work. It's just part of the whole process. And I enjoy the whole process."

Certainly, part of this process is the training camp - the hard work that gets replicated day after day after day. Gomez, who grew up with Burke, is always there, always on the perimeter, always taking care of the details, always making sure Trout and Burke and the rest of the team can do their jobs.

"We are all great friends here and we all have a common goal - that Austin is successful," Gomez said. "Austin works so hard and he is a genuinely good guy. There is no jealousy in the camp. I just try to take care of the little details, so the guys can concentrate on the bigger picture. I make sure the sparring partners get in here. I make the doctor appointments, the eye checkups. This camp has really gone well and Austin is on track. He really looks good."

The work continues day after day after day. The cool afternoons turn into chilly evenings, occasionally leaving a morning frost.

Austin Trout lives this life ... this boxer's life, a life that goes from solitude to madness in a moment. He is preparing meticulously for that moment of madness.

"It's all part of the journey," he said softly. "When you are going through the journey, you sometimes ask why. But God is never late. This journey is not on my time, it's on God's time. The road to this moment has been a long one. I had a good amateur career, but I had to go the hard way. When things aren't going my way, I've had to make them go my way. Canelo is knocking everybody out in front of him. Let's see what happens when things aren't going his way."

The moment is growing near. The days are tumbling atop days, the sameness - both tiresome and necessary - as the work continues ... continues in this small, picturesque, mountain-resort town ... all leading to that heart pounding moment in San Antonio when Trout and Alvarez step into that squared off jungle they call a boxing ring and thousands roar.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171. Follow him on Twitter @BillKnightept

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